


Apologies

by Buttered_Toast



Series: COVID couples [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26620102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buttered_Toast/pseuds/Buttered_Toast
Summary: The pandemic had affected people in different ways, it made Dick  scattered and more forgetful. It made them fight more.They fought about how Dick was running too much, claimed it was to gain some normalcy but Nixon was worrying it had become obsessive, like he was punishing himself for something.That was a month ago, and Lewis just missed Dick, turns out Dick missed Lewis too.
Relationships: Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters
Series: COVID couples [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936507
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	Apologies

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I decided to turn this into a series I hope you like it. Please let me know if you do. I’m aiming to do a one shot for all BOB the couples but we will see. 
> 
> Trigger warning:  
> Reference to alcohol abuse  
> Reference to using exercise as a form on punishment/self harm

Nixon slides the house key into the lock of his front door, careful not to let the wind catch a hold of the door as he pushes his way into the open planned living room.

He should have been home three hours ago. Instead, it is now twenty five minutes short of 1 a.m. He bends down to quietly unzip his boots when he spots a tanned pair that aren’t his, it brings a surprised smile to his face. He could lie to himself and say he’ll put them away in his closet but he enjoys the sight of his shoes lined up next to Dick’s.

As he stands up, he realizes that Ziggy has not come bounding to the front door. Usually the mutt has tried to knock him on his ass looking for a hello pat. Whining and jumping on the floor, making more noise than a single spaniel has the right to make. But no sure welcome tonight. He’s suspicious of the quiet.

Ziggy’s tail thumps against the pillows on the sofa when he sees Nix, but he makes no effort to get off the soft furnishing, even though he knows he’s not allowed up there. 

Nix doesn’t blame him though. It’s a damn good sofa, the best thing he has bought for his house, doubling up as a bed, couch and a workstation. Dick has blanched when he found out how much it cost; he refused to drink his morning tea around it. Until Nixon purposely split red wine on it to get him to relax. Speaking of the redhead, he was rolled on his side facing the back in sofa cushions. It strikes him as odd at first, Dick didn’t like sleeping on the sofa. It made his muscles sore and affected his running, when he did it was always by accident and sat up. But now he was laid long on the sofa, his head resting on the arm closest to the front door. 

He was watching the door waiting for him to get back. 

There’s a blanket tangled around his legs, and Nixon is sure that between the blanket, Ziggy’s body heat and the underfloor heating Dick wouldn’t have stood a chance of staying awake even if he had come home on time. 

He didn’t even have a sofa blanket when they first started dating. But Dick surprised him one day with the old multicoloured chunky blanket, the corners fraying. It screamed ‘Made in Lancaster’ and Nixon teased him about it being a ‘Ye old armish tradition’ but he now couldn’t nap on the sofa without it. He couldn’t think of a better addition to his house.

Except maybe his teetotal boyfriend, passed out with the blanket wadded haphazardly around his legs. The blanket would probably have been on the floor but Ziggy had settled on the other half, trapping in on the sofa. His fluffy head resting on Dick’s thigh looking up at him, daring to be kicked off of the furniture. He just looked back, he was looking at his family. 

He recognizes the hoodie the redhead is wearing too, one of his old Yale hoodies. There was time after his parents had threatened to disown him for dropping out when he wanted to burn them all, the logo leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Ironically, it had been his ex wife Kathy who had convinced him to keep them. Wearing them to the gym, advertising her ‘successful’ husband, that should have been the first red flag really. She didn’t care that he was having a breakdown as long as she could brag she snagged a Yale trust fund boy. 

But Dick never looked like he was advertising or showing off, he just looked like he was comfy. More so passed on the sofa in a hoodie and boxers. He rolled his eyes thinking about how overly prepared Dick could be for everyday situations. Remembering a time when they were first dating and had gone on a drive, the satnav had died and out of nowhere Dick pulled a compass and map and got them home safe. Now though it reminded him of the early days when Dick started to spend the night. He would bring above and beyond the basic things; clean underwear, socks, his toothbrush, spare ties, shirts and a phone charger, just in case. He seems to have forgotten all of those things now. The pandemic had affected people in different ways, it made Dick scattered and more forgetful. It made them fight more. 

They fought about how Dick was running too much, claimed it was to gain some normalcy but Nixon was worrying it had become obsessive, like he was punishing himself for something. Nixon asked if he felt guilty because he was perfectly healthy and could risk a supermarket dash whereas his diabetes made him too high risk to shop with the general population. This led to a fight where he was called out because a bottle of Vat69 had gone from lasting a month to two weeks. If he wasn’t going to take his health seriously why should he take all these extra precautions to protect Nixon. It all ended with him moving back into his empty apartment leaving, leaving Nixon alone in his house. That was a month ago.

They’ve never talked about it, about the fight. They hadn't broken up but instead had gone backwards in their relationship. Skating on thin ice and walking on eggshells. But Nixon kept the bottom drawer in his dresser empty and a wedge of his wardrobe remained vacant. Waiting for Dick to return his underwear, folded with sharp corners.

But for now he is wearing his hoodie and no pants. Laid on the old man's couch, positioned to face his front door, waiting for him to come home. It filled his heart with hope. His good morning kisses had become good morning texts. Their fight hung thick between them, things had become stilted. He worried that COVID just added gasoline to an already existing fire, speeding up the path to the inevitable break up, like the relationships before.

He knew he shouldn’t have been at work tonight, it was this reckless disregard for his health that caused the fight. But he was a home worker and his laptop had broken and since it was company property it had to be fixed by an engineer from the company. Some ass hat from HR had decided the only way for it to be fixed was if he came in himself and the safest time for Nixon to come in was at 9pm when there was no staff about to come in contact with.  
Exhausted, he’d spent the drive home thinking about his bed and a glass of Vat 69. Maybe, he was purposefully making the wedge between them bigger because at least he had control in creating it this time. But all of those worries vanished from his mind when he saw Dick on his sofa. 

Ziggy whines softly and Nixon hushes him.

“Hang on, we are waking Dad up. I’ll take you out to pee before bed.” Ziggy continues to whine, but makes no move to get up.

He rubs his hands up and down Dick’s arm, jostling enough to wake him up but not enough to make him fall off the couch. 

He groans, pushing his face further into the pillows, Nixon can feel himself smile. God he missed this.

“C’mon, Winters, you not even going to say hi to me?” He can feel Dick try to shrug his hand off of his shoulder. This made Nixon laugh. “Come on, you’ll hate me in the morning if I let you stay on the sofa”

“ never hate you” he muttered into the cushion, huffing as he pulled himself into a sitting position. His muscles ached and he looked incredibly rumpled. “Surprise”

“What are you doing here? Is the straight laced Dick Winters breaking the lockdown rules on mixing households?” Maybe that was an unnecessary comment but he couldn’t help himself. He was on his knees in front of the redhead who was the ringmaster of his happiness, whether he knew it or not. He was allowed to feel vulnerable and exposed. Dick started to run his fingers through his hair, Lewis dropped his head so his forehead rested on Dick’s knees.

“I guess I just missed Ziggy” 

“Oh if that’s all” a smile in Nixon’s voice, he moved to get up but the fingers in his hair tugged, keeping him in position. The skilful fingers massaging his scalp turning him to mush. 

“I was driving home from the store and I found myself here. Couldn’t bring myself to drive away, I came inside and next thing I knew I was asleep” Dick’s voice had a tinge of guilt to it. That wouldn’t do, so Nixon kissed the space above his bare knee. 

“I’m glad you did. I’ve missed you” he didn’t want to look up at Dick in case the feeling was not mutual. What if this was all about the spaniel.

“I’m sorry, Lew I shouldn’t have left” he should apologise back, after all he had started the argument in the first place about the running. But instead his tongue felt heavy and something bubbled in his chest.

“Why did it take you a month?” That did not sound like the apology he had rehearsed in his head. 

“You never asked me to come back” the voice was quiet and unsure, and entirely how Dick Winters shouldn’t sound. 

“God Dick! Of course I wanted you to come back, but you left and I didn’t want to push” he was used to people walking out and leaving when things got tough, or realised he was too much to handle. Prenups may protect his bank account but there was nothing that could protect his heart. 

“I’m sorry Lew, ask me now” The fingers threaded in his hair tugged him up slightly so they could meet each other’s eyes.

“Come home Dick, I’m sorry and I miss you”

“I’m sorry and I miss you too, of course I’ll come home” he was pulled the rest of the way up to meet the red headed man for a kiss. It was like oxygen and having his breath stolen all at once. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure they still needed to talk about Dick’s excessive running and Nixon’s overindulgence in alcohol and overall disregard for his diabetes and COVID, but for now this was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> If there is a couple you want next let me know, or a situation you want me to write them in, tell me!


End file.
